Textual Poaching: An Identity Remix
Although my ancestors are not from Hawaii, one of my most significant identities is being a Hawaii local. I am very familiar with the inaccurate portrayls of Hawaiians and "hula girls" that were popular in ads, pin up art, and movies in the early 1900s (even today to some extent), so I decided to remix some vintage images of these Hawaiian girls in a way that more resembles my experience. In my remixed images I pose with a can of Spam (a local favorite) and wear a typical outfit you'd find on a good number of girls in the average Hawaii public school: bball shorts, a tita bun, cockroach slippers, and (in the case of my high school) a Kahuku shirt. I also threw a shaka in the second photo for fun. The shaka means "hang loose," which is funny because that particular pose was one of the strangest and most uncomfortable positions I've ever tried. I also felt the need to stick out my tongue so that you can sense the ridiculousness I felt in that moment of mimicing these silly images.
Historical portrayals of Hawaiian girls in vintage art was something I natrually started researching as I did this project. Most of them are depicted topless and with grass skirts even though hula dancing stopped being topless back in 1820 and they never wore grass skirts. Hula girls in ads and in art were also white usually, and their poses were more "flapper" or "burlesque" than hula. Overall it was just intersting to me that the typical "hula girl" we think of today is more of an invention than a mere exagerration.
This assignment and Barney's "Responding" essay really gave me a new perspective on teaching history in my theatre classroom. As important as is it to know about different art/philosophical movements, big names, groundbreaking practices, various genres, etc., I want to focus our theatre history lessons on how certain identities or stereotypes have been formed through theatre in the past, how that affects our world today, how theatre pieces throughout the years have challenged those sterotypes, and how we ourselves can challenge them with our own art.
I loved this reflection! Looking at these photos, I realize that I have fallen right into the trap of thinking that everyone in Hawaii just looks like this, going around in grass skirts and holding pineapples. I also liked your connection and research that these poses are more associated with Burlesque and Flapper culture than with Hula culture.
ReplyDeleteThis piece was so beautiful and meaningful! Not having grown up surrounded by or being exposed to Hawaiian culture until very recently, I regret to say that the original ads represent the idea that I've held for a long time about what a Hawaiian girl looks like. I love your vulnerability and the reminder that there is so much more to a culture than the stereotypes that commonly prevail. You brought to light the intricacies and the things Hawaiian and western culture have in common, as well as celebrating the things that make it unique and special. You are beautiful and I love you and thank you for this project!
ReplyDeleteI like how you reclaim your Hawaiian identity by parodying the whitewashed versions of vintage Hawaiian ads. Relating it to our future positions as teachers in schools, this project would be the perfect example of empowering students to own their own identities and not to let stereotypes define them.
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